B. M. Birla Heart Research Centre is among the foremost centres for Cardiac Surgery in India, the quality equal with the best centres around the world.
About thousand open heart procedures are done every year plus numerous operations which do not need the use of heart lung machines. This includes Adult Cardiac Surgery like Coronary Bypass and Heart Valve Surgery and also Paediatric Cardiac Surgery where many small children with Heart defects are successfully operated.
The surgery is done in three well equipped operation theatres and thereafter the patients are kept in the ITU.
The high standard of care is maintained with the help of dedicated Cardiac Surgeons, Cardiac Anaesthetists, Perfusionists and of course high quality Nursing Care. This is reflected in excellent surgical results obtained at this Centre.
Adult Cardiac Surgery
Surgery of acquired Heart Disease is perfomed routinely at B.M. Birla Heart Research Centre. This includes Coronary Bypass Grafting (CABG) and surgery for Heart Valve problems. Both these conditions are very common in India and they are treated very successfully by a highly skilled surgical team. In addition, pioneering operations have been performed.
Many advances have been made in Post-Operative Care (e.g. the use of Ventricular Assist devices).
Paediatric Cardiac Surgery
Surgery of children is a great challenge and is of special interest at the B. M. Birla Heart Research Centre. Children as small as 2.5 kg have been successfully operated. A wide range of complex congenital heart disease is treated surgically with extremely good results.
Pioneering achievements have included Video Assisted Thorascopic closure of PDA and ASD and Total Cardiopulmonary connection without bypass. In India the Institute is also the first to successfully use ECMO to treat sick cardiac surgical children. A total of 150,000 children are born every year with congenital heart disease and yet less than 2000 manage to be treated. The Surgical department of B.M. Birla Heart Research Centre aims to close down the gap.
Paediatric Cardiac Transplant Programme is in the process of getting organized. 30% of the surgical work consist of babies less than one year of age and includes large number of arterial switches, TAPVC repair and Intracardiac repair of Fallots Tetralogy.
Cardiac Surgical Training
B. M. Birla Heart Research Centre provides an excellent environment for the training of Cardiac Surgeons. Post-Doctoral surgeons are given intensive stepwise training in all branches of Cardiac Surgery under the watchful eyes of the Senior Surgeons. They are guided in decision making, actual operating and post operative care. Towards the end of the their training programme they become independent Consultant Surgeons capable of practising cardiac surgery up to the high standard demanded of our hospital.
Cardiac Surgical Research
Research is always a high priority in the Cardiac Surgical Department. About 10-15 original research papers are produced which are read and published in National and International forum.
Areas of Interest:
ITU-The Intensive Therapy Unit
ITU is where the highest level of continuous patient care and treatment is provided within this centre. Comprising a total of 18 beds, the ITU is divided into two fully staffed and equipped facilities of twelve and six beds respectively both located on the same floor as the Operation Theatre and the Cardiac Catheterization Lab. A minimum nurse-to-patient ratio of 1:1 and round the clock specialist cover is provided by Cardiac Surgeons and Anaesthesiologists.
Besides state of the art facilites for cardiovascular monitoring and respiratory support, the ITU is equipped to provide active and aggresive therapy for critically ill patients, viz. intra-aortic balloon counter pulsation (IABP), peritoneal and haemodialysis, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), circulatory assist devices (LVAD), continous arteriovenous haemofiltration(CAVH) etc.
The ITU thus provides a full spectrum of critical care ranging from post-operative management of patients undergoing Cardiac Surgery to the acute and life-threatening conditions of multiple systems organ failure.
Post Operative Intensive Care
Looked after by a team of Intensivists and Nurses with Cardiothoracic training, this unit has been the first in the country to use Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to combat multiorgan failure in children.
